A friend leaned over the railing behind the court I had just been
playing on. I was sucking down water and toweling it from my arms and face. Our
courts are nice and toasty in the summer.
“Pizza?” she said. “We’re going to the roof. You joining us?”
“Hell, yes.”
A shower and a quick change later and I was out in the balmy
evening air gazing up at the stars—okay, star; you can’t see more than a few
from the middle of New York City. But I could see the last deep purples and
pinks of a fading sunset, and the bright glimmer of ship lights reflected on
the Hudson River below us. My friend opened the cardboard lid to the pizza box
and the heady aroma of wild mushrooms and truffle oil (we’re not in the West
Village for nothing) made me thankful I had plenty of calories to replace. Ah,
New York City in the summer. What could be better than après summer squash with
your best squash buds?
I’ve been lucky enough to have a number of similar moments this
summer—a round robin, followed by a round of Coronas and twenty-dollar lobster specials partaken at open-air
picnic tables down in lower Manhattan; a barbeque hosted by a generous squash
mate on a roof deck worthy of a Woody Allen movie; and then the more common but
no less enjoyable time spent replacing two hours worth of squash sweat at a
local West Village watering hole. As the song goes, “Summertime, and the
squashin’ is easy….”
But the times, they are a-changin’. And I’m beginning to feel some excitement and a bit of
anxiety about the upcoming season. What team will I play on? Will I try to move
up? Am I up for another season of captaining? Should I try to train differently
this year? etc., etc.
Last year I played on two teams—a women’s 4.0 and a men’s 3.0. As
captain of the W4.0 team, my goal was to play all nine members of my team as
equally as possible (only sort of succeeded) and to make it to the playoffs
(see my first MSRA post for that result). My goal on the men’s team was to get
used to a faster game, as well as widen my roster of squash partners. That
worked on both counts. But what about this year?
I have played on a
women’s 4.0/B team for too many years to count—although if you remember when
the women’s teams played five matches per night, maybe you can figure it out
for me…. Granted, I played at the bottom of the ladder my first few years and
now I’m near the top. I could easily stay in 4.0. Throw me in Howe Cup and I am
barely a low 4.0. But. I am a bit bored. I am a bit too complacent. I
need a new challenge.
If there was a W4.5 I would be all set. But there isn’t. There is
only W5.0. And while I like the idea of dipping my racquet in as a sub to test
the waters, that would be difficult. My club has no W5.0 team. If I wanted to
play on it, I would have to create it.
So that is what I’m trying to do. I’ve begun the recruitment. Sent
out emails. Gotten some good response. It may just happen. Now I have to make
myself happen to be ready to play….and I’m definitely feeling pangs of what-the-hell-am-I-doing.
But if I don’t play up, I won’t ever get up any higher than I am. Know the
feeling?
Summer squash, alas, is ending, but maybe it’s time to head back
to school and, hopefully, graduate to the next class.
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