After 12 Years At The ISDA Helm, Hewitt To Step Down
by Rob Dinerman
Dateline July 28th --- After months of speculation as to his status and that of the ISDA men's professional North American doubles tour in the wake of a somewhat tumultuous 2011-12 season and the subsequent formation (see the June 12th posting on our site) of a rival Squash Doubles Association in recent months, James Hewitt, a former ISDA top-10 who throughout this past decade served as the ISDA Executive Director, released the following statement Friday morning on the isdasquash.com web site from his office in Toronto:
Dear players, sponsors, and tournament organizers,
Over the last 12 years, following the establishment of the ISDA, I have been dedicated to improving the professional doubles tour and the doubles game itself. It is remarkable to think that the professional doubles tour at one time, before the ISDA existed, consisted of a total of 6 tournaments: 5 events with $10,000 and one with $25,000 in prize money. With the creation of the ISDA in 2000, doubles squash has grown significantly.
The ISDA has had many successes over that time including: the 2009-2010 season which had 5 events with prize money of $40,000 or more, the 2010-2011 season that had the most events ever with 25 events on its schedule. the creation of the Challenger tour series, the inclusion in the World Squash Awards and taking a leadership role in the World Doubles Championships in 2011 The unprecedented growth and the undeniable success the ISDA experienced, not only cemented doubles squash at the professional level in North America, it opened the door for the remarkable growth and development of amateur, junior and women's doubles over the last 5 years.
This past season has been extremely trying and these last few months even more so. It is at this point in time that I will be stepping away from the doubles game and the ISDA tour. This was a difficult decision, to leave the game that I love, a game I have passionately fought to grow and develop, and a professional tour in which I laid the foundations for future growth and expansion. I have developed many relationships and made many good friends over these years and I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and friendship. I will miss the competition on the court but even more so, I will miss the relationships this experience has brought me.
Thank you again to those who have supported me and the ISDA.
All the best,
James
Back To Main
