Response To The Will Gens Letter To The Editor
by Bob Hanscom
March 16, 2012 - Perhaps my “Two Sides To The Coin” article wasn't quite clear. So...here we go again...
The S. L. Green, (as it's commonly known), is basically a “qualifying” or U. S. Team “trials” event created to help select a squash team (and individual) “eligible” (U.S. Citizens only) to represent the United States in international competition, i.e. the Pan American Games, Federation Championships, World Championships, etc. - and hopefully in the future, the Olympic Games in 2020!
It would be unfair to have non-citizen players compete in this format, as it would have the potential for nullifying the final results and rankings. No...a major competition needs to take place where American citizen squash-players (only) compete against each other in an effort to “make” the U.S. National Team, which was the original purpose for Steve Green endowing the event. Likewise, a similar event should continue to take place for the ladies.
Therefore, if the desire is to see who in the United States are the “best,” among all our country's “residents,” then a professional tournament with a decent prize-fund needs to be created (actually re-recreated, as hosted by The Los Angeles Athletic Club in the years 2000 through 2005) to achieve that objective. Once again, anyone out there interested in being the Title sponsor of what could be a spectacular U.S. Resident Professional Squash Championships!?
Further, a similar national age-group event needs to take place for U.S. Citizens only – IF a “proper” U.S. national ranking is to be arrived at. Looking at this year's results, FOUR of the TEN men's age-group events were won by (Canadian) non-citizens!
Even IF, in order to arrive at a “proper” U.S. national ranking, those non-citizens were removed from the eventual national rankings, they (theoretically) along the way, have the potential of knocking out some of the higher-ranked U.S. players, again nullifying the true final rankings.
As an example, (a few years ago) the #2 U.S. nationally ranked age-group player was knocked out in the first round by a (unseeded incidentally) Canadian non-citizen, who actually ended up winning the competition! What do you think this result did to that American's national ranking!?
So again...it's back to the “Two Sides To The Coin!” Maintain the S. L. Green as a U.S. citizens only event (likewise for the women) – and stage a "U.S. citizens only” amateur age-group competition, so that the final national age-group rankings are in fact...true and accurate!
Back To Main
