Chris Walker Introduces the New Rob Dinerman Squash Anthology December 15, 2014
I have known Rob Dinerman now for almost 15
years. Since I moved from London, England, in Sep 2001 my Squash
journey in America has covered pretty much every facet of the game and
I can honestly say Rob Dinerman is ubiquitous!!
Whether I was competing as a singles player
on the PSA pro tour, a doubles player on the SDA pro tour, or coaching
Juniors and Adults of all levels, or working with the Hackley Girls
Varsity Team or as National Coach in charge of the US Women’s and Men’s
Team, Rob has always been there in search of the story. Always
demanding facts and detailed recall of matches and situations that only
someone of journalistic mind would ask for.
His love of the game is second to none. I
had the immense pleasure of playing alongside Rob at the Briggs Cup to
witness this first hand – not only from his preparation and approach to
our matches but also to his unique ability to remember, in a computer
like fashion, every single point and shot from those matches that, to
me, were often a flurry of rallies in the blur of competition. If I want to find out a fact from the
history of Squash, whether about a player, a match or some obscure
stat, Rob is the Wikipedia of Squash and the first person I would call
on.
With that said, I can think of no one
better to compile this mouthwatering anthology that spans decades, is
full of legends from different eras, crosses the divide of hardball to
softball and catalogues some stories that may have otherwise been
forgotten in the depth of history.
I think anyone who has ever crossed their
palm with a squash racket of some kind in the last 40 years (whether it
be wood, graphite or carbon fibre with nano technology) will feel some
nostalgia as they travel through the pages of this collection of
stories. They have been written with a passion that will intoxicate the
reader and perhaps give them a glimpse in to the soul of Rob Dinerman
which is spread through the pages of this book as it is on the Squash
courts of America.
Chris Walker
Singles World #4 Doubles World #1 4 x World Champion US Men’s National Coach 2005-13
