Dishonorable Discharge

By Brett Erasmus

The College Squash Association National Championships were decided last weekend. Trinity claimed their 12th consecutive title by beating Yale by a winning margin of 6-3. In the process they made all the news channels (even ESPN) but, unfortunately, not for the right reasons..

Trinity number 1 Baset Chaudhry’s 3-0 win over Ken Chan of Yale gave the Bantams their 5th win of the day and clinched them the title. The real news is this though: apparently there was a verbal barrage between the players on court, as well as from the supporters (again!? really!?). The players were even staring each other down between points as their tempers flared.

Squash and Sportsmanship Become a Hot Topic

Squash and sportsmanship are a hot topic after this incident. Check it out:

and check out additional coverage at SquahZag:
http://www.squashzag.com/members/profile/3/blog-view/blog_730.html

Heartbreak Ridge

By Brett Erasmus

I know this is a blog about squash but the Winter Olympics really has been awesome to watch, so, I digress. The big stars like Apolo Ohno, Sean White and Lindsey Vonn have so far managed to hold their nerve and deliver to their potential. But spare a thought for some of their less fortunate competitors..

Last weekend Rocket man Ohno was coming 4th in the men’s 1500m until the final corner, when 2 of the Korean skaters basically took each other out and gifted the US the 2nd and 3rd spots. Those guys trained hard for 4 years just to get to a point where they were split seconds from a 1/2/3 sweep for their country. They must be heartbroken; and their coach must be more than a little upset. A few days later one of Sean White’s big Japanese rivals bombed out in the halfpipe by trying to go one up on White, but ended up doing a pretty impressive face-plant. He was forced to go back to the top of the hill and complete his final run bloodied and embarrassed, and with full knowledge that Sean White had outdone him again. Another 4 years of hard work down the tubes (excuse the pun).

Squash Boot Camp

By Brett Erasmus

So, you are just getting into the game and find that physically it's almost too much to sustain. Every time you play your legs hurt, and sometimes even your back and butt. Then, once you have become fitter and are a little used to it, you keep pulling your groin, twisting your ankles or falling victim to tennis elbow. Or perhaps you are extremely fit, but still occasionally suffer from calf, achilles or shoulder tears. Yes, squash is demanding on your body and yes you can get injured, but allow me to talk a little about the benefits of squash. I am no fitness expert, so I looked it up.

The old fashioned ways of getting in shape are of course running, cycling, weights training, and swimming. Running or cycling around central park every morning is a great cardio workout, but what does it do for upper body strength. And running can wreak havoc on joints, especially if you are not very light (like me). Weight training obviously improves muscular strength, but it is totally lacking in cardio. Getting bigger muscles is not going to promote a strong heart (or help you get around a squash court either). I know many people who think swimming is the ideal activity for a total-body workout, and I agree with this to a large extent. But, that’s only if you use the proper technique and are actually fit enough (swim specific fitness) to keep it up at a sustained intensity for longer than a few minutes.

No Medals For You

By Brett Erasmus (written August 14, 2009)
In anticipation of the Olympics I remember back to a piece I wrote in August last year when the IOC voted on which 2 sports to include in the Summer Games going forward:

“On August 13, 2009 the IOC voted golf and rugby sevens onto the short list for addition to the Summer Olympics. The decision to include them will be ratified next month. Karate just missed the cut. This means that, sadly, squash did not feature. Pretty surprising news, considering that four years ago squash made the cut, but actually missed getting in as a two thirds majority was required to ratify. This time around only a simple majority is required, and so golf and rugby are guaranteed a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games. As a supporter of both sports, I am happy they are included (and as a South African, I am very happy that we actually stand a chance of winning a gold medal for a change - we are rugby world champs). But as a squash fan, I am extremely disappointed. The sports were evaluated based on various criteria, like representation, accessibility, and the fact that the Olympic Games would represent the pinnacle of achievement in a given sport. This is something I am sure every professional squash player would agree with - Olympic Gold would certainly be a highlight in their careers. Tiger Woods has won The Open 3 times, has 4 green jackets and has made almost one billion dollars from golf in his lifetime. When asked what he thought of the IOC decision, he said, "I'd love to play for the rugby team". It is such a pity the IOC went for commercial appeal.”

Grand Open Recap

By Corey Modeste

The 2010 Metropolitan Squash Racquets Association (MSRA) Grand Open squash tournament raised an already high bar for amateur squash tournaments by drawing a record number of players to Manhattan for the third straight year.  No one, not least the event’s organizers, thought this year’s event would top the 2009 record of 216 players, but the 230 participants playing across 12 men’s and women’s draws meant that even with two weeks to go before the tournament’s start, most draws had waitlists. As is common, the men’s 3.5 to 5.0 draws filled up first, but 2010 saw a large increase in the number of women players.

MSRA Spotlight on James Green

By Corey Modeste

Midway through our conversation, and without any hint of hyperbole, James Green said, “In 2000 I earned and lost $12 million dollars.”

Prior to talking to him I anticipated learning about how he got into squash, and what he did for a living.  But, I thought, I’d much prefer to hear about a Phil Michelson-esque gambling problem, or a multi-year binge of expensive cars, hardcore drugs, and fast women. Or even a story about how a sudden gust of wind blew a winning lottery ticket out of his hands and into the East River.  I was already mentally drafting how I would write of him celebrating his lottery winnings on an impromptu sailing trip when the ticket slips out of his hands, him running the length of the boat in slow motion and then leaping in vain into the water, just as the ticket get shredded in the propeller.  Whatever, just as long as he doesn’t do that jerk thing where he puts out a teaser and then says, “Well, you know, I really can’t talk about it.”

“No”, he said, “I don’t care if anyone knows.”