MSRA Spotlight on Rob White

By Corey Modeste

After a few minutes of speaking to Rob White, elements of his story began to sound familiar.  Rob played varsity tennis at Michigan State but it took him several years after school to pick up a squash racquet. Last year, his first playing competitive squash, he cleaned up in the 3.5 league with a 10-0 record.  The last time I saw a profile like that, the 'Rob' involved was Rob Chen, who after playing varsity tennis in college started in the MSRA's 3.5 leagues and in just a few years become New York City's top 6.0 player.

To be fair, Rob (White) was no stranger to racquet sports. Growing up in Landover, Maryland, he started playing competitive tennis at twelve years old and by the time he reached high school, life was "tennis, school... and

then some more tennis." Coming up as a talented Maryland junior he hoped he would be a natural recruit for the University of Maryland, but it turned out that out of state schools showed more interest. Michigan State became Rob's home and he was a good Spartan in helping to bolster the tennis program there.

Spending time on the pro doubles tour was one consideration when he graduated, but Rob, ever the competitor, was thinking about the next challenge: acting. After studying the craft at university, he came to NYC and had some success in shows and commercials, earning his Actors Equity Card (which he still proudly owns and pays dues for). A chance meeting led him to start thinking about photography, which quickly turned from an interest to a vocation.

Rob continued to play tennis during this time, but realized that without the frequency of training (and unfortunately, youth) that he had in college, tennis would be difficult to keep up. He started playing squash with a friend at the Printing House round robins and found that it gave him a better workout and was easier on his body than tennis. He eventually settled into the West Side YMCA squash scene and now plays about four or five times per week. West Side Y is a hidden gem in the NYC squash world; no court fees, low monthly rates and a thriving community make it a fun place to play. Rob joined the 3.5 team and had a stellar season, not only going personally undefeated, but playing on a team that went undefeated on its way to a championship. By the end of the season it was clear that Rob had become stronger than a 3.5 player. He had a good showing in the 4.0 draw at the 2009 Hyder Trophy Tournament, losing in the semis to the eventual winner. This season Rob is playing on a newly-formed West Side Y 4.0 team, but precedent has shown that he may need the upgrade to 4.5 by mid-season.

Rob lives in Manhattan with his wife and runs Rob White Photography.