Jon Foster Sounds Off on the State of the Game December 1, 2020
Hi All -
I love all this buzz! I’m cautiously optimistic about the viability of
outdoor squash. We have to do something to save the game we love!
We have done a horrendous job growing the game of squash;
(1) Court construction in other than a few wealthy schools and clubs
and the impressive Philadelphia complex (thank you Ned Edwards!), has
not only ground to a halt, we have seen a net loss as courts are
converted to Pilates studios, storage rooms, daycare, etc.
(2) Adult play has collapsed. League play, once robust in major cities is all but gone.
(3) Adult tournament participation has vaporized. At one time, I
played the amateur “circuit”...with several choices every weekend for
top play supported by local enthusiastic squashers. This kept
post-college players in the game, and as they got older, they became
the local organizers.
(4) Participation in the US Adult Nationals is embarrassing. Have
you seen the size of some of the women’s draws in the age groups?
Imagine...US Nationals being decided by a 4-6 person round robin?
(5) Time and money wasted promoting doubles hardball (pro &
amateur). How many people can actually play or watch hardball
doubles? It’s inaccessible. FYI, I have the right to say
this as a 3X National Doubles Champion.
(6) The US Squash association has completely forgotten about Southern
California, and I’ll bet dozens of other regions feel likewise. I’m one
of probably only a few dozen adult US Squash members left in
SoCal. The organization has done zero here. Players don’t
even know what the US Squash association is. Tournament play has
been non-existent for years.
(7) The odd initiative in certain ultra-wealthy communities to spend
shocking amounts of money on private courts, private jets and private
coaching to get Little Johnny or Little Sally into the Ivy League is
humiliating. Further, Little Johnny and Little Sally will NOT
make the varsity. How can they possibly compete against kids from
developing countries, picked for the raw athletic prowess, who see
squash as the way to put food on the table for their families? In
the US, if inner city youths focused on squash instead of basketball
and football, Little Johnny and Little Sally wouldn’t make the top
100. The world’s greatest athletes are not comprised of players
born on 2nd base and think they hit a double.
We have to do something. My recommendation is to use this
downtime to explore radical change and dramatic initiatives. It
the words of the immortal squash champion Will Rogers,
“When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
It’s time to stop digging. It’s time to accept the fact that
clearly the strategy employed to promote the game for the last 30 years
has been a dismal and embarrassing failure.
If not for the exceptional dream of Urban Squash put in motion by Greg
Zaff 30 years ago, and carried on admirably by Tim Wyant today, squash
would be slightly less significant than Dodgeball. At least with
Dodgeball, everyone knows what it is. In the year 2020, I still
have to regularly explain to people that squash is not just a vegetable.
