In Response to Guy Cipriano by David Kerr August 20, 2020
Thanks Guy, everything you stated
is of course true as I have observed in my own 40 year paying
career. I also think too much focus within squash has been on
junior competition which has sucked up the attention of pros,
facilities and our national organization. I can’t blame them because
that is where demand and the money is, but our sport needs to increase
play more broadly. You can't build a sport where the largest
focus is on members that are 8 – 18 years old. Anemic play over age 30,
disappearing clubs, events and courts are signals that squash has
significant issues. The post you cite argues for more promotion,
better advertising or creating less expensive facilities or outdoor
public courts, but I think that all is cosmetic.
In my opinion, the fundamental challenge in growing squash
exponentially is the pro ball makes it too hard for new players to
quickly learn and play, and for older players to keep playing. No
one is going to walk up to an outdoor court not having played and be
able to get any sort of rally going with the pro ball unless it’s 90
degrees outside. People are busy with many options on how to
exercise (think a Pelaton in a bedroom at home) and (especially the
younger generation) want easy and convenient. Squash’s problem is that
the pro ball is too hard for a new player or older player to warm up
and create an extended rally that is the essence of an enjoyable
game. There are alternative balls like the Progress, but there
hasn’t been enough effort promoting them as anything but just a step on
the path to using the pro ball. People can denounce pickle ball but the
sport is getting non-racquets people to pick up a racquet which is the
goal. We as a sport need to entice new casual players and also
keep older players playing. And we need to do it immediately
because if the tide really turns and we start losing courts at a faster
rate (which we’re seeing in clubs and potentially at colleges), it will
be impossible to get them back.
Personally, I think Squash 57 is the answer and it has been growing in
the UK, South Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand and more, and is now
supported by the World Squash Federation as a supplement to squash.
Unfortunately it seems many US squash players consider Squash 57 too
different, too much like US racquetball, and not real squash which is
unfortunate because I’ve been playing and think it's great. For
competitive players, it demands all the elements that I love about
squash such as racquet skill, agility, fitness and strategy without
killing myself in a match with the double yellow ball. And due to the
much more lively ball, it’s also super easy to pick up and start to
play. And you can play doubles which adds a social element (see the
video of Nick Matthews playing S57 doubles). At our club, I've
had friends (former squash players in their 50’s and 60’s who quit) buy
equipment so they could play with their non-squash playing spouses
which is awesome. I’ve heard of schools buying equipment to offer
the sport for gym class which is another fantastic application. There
might be other ball options but I think at this point, different is
good when it comes to broadening the appeal of and growing squash.
There is no reason squash play has to be restricted to the 40mm pro
ball. The US is attracting some of the best pros in the world and
I urge them and their clubs and other facilities to help us grow the
sport beyond junior competitive players to save squash.
