Hardball Set for Coming Season by Tefft Smith September 22, 2015
- With committed support from US Squash, we have a complete line up of
tournaments (below) for the coming year -- with the first being The
Atlantic Coast Championships October 23 - 25 (Singles and Doubles) near
Atlantic City -- culminating in the US Squash Hardball National
Championships at the end of February 2016 at the Merion Cricket Club.
This year’s U.S. Squash National Championships will be a SPECIAL event
as we will be saying FAREWELL to the Merion traditional hardball
singles courts.
We want to get as many past Hardball Singles Champions and players as
possible to attend -- and play -- for a proper send-off of the venue
that has been the source of so many past and present National
Champions, and has been the location for so many thrilling and exciting
hardball singles matches, over so many years.
US Squash and Merion intend to “roll out the red carpet” to honor
Merion’s past and to recognize all who can attend, as players or
spectators. We expect a GREAT! Open draw, which Preston Quick,
the U.S. Squash Director of Squash Doubles and Hardball Singles, will
be promoting to the the ISDA Doubles Pros and others, given the Merion
Farewell.
We welcome any thoughts or suggestions for the 2016 Nationals at Merion
and for promoting and enhancing hardball singles play generally.
We need volunteers to help get as many people out as possible, so
please mark your calendars and encourage everyone to come to Merion for
the farewell to Merion’s hardball singles courts.
The Merion Farewell underscores the need to play hardball singles on
the softball (21’ wide) and converted racquetball (20’) courts in order
to keep hardball singles thriving, recognizing that there are not many
traditional (18.5’) courts left. You can use either the fuscia
(red) hardball (which still works well for most higher level players)
or the Austral (green) ball (which many have tried and like and is used
at the Atlantic Coast and other tournaments), which has proven to be a
GREAT way to enjoy the -- thrill -- of hardball play, on the wider
courts.
Anyone wanting to try an Austral ball should just please let me know and we will send you one, free!
The following is the line-up of 2015-16 Hardball Singles tournaments, as scheduled and posted on US Squash:
10/23-25/15 Atlantic Coast, Greate Bay Club, Somers Point, NJ (Near Atlantic City)
11/7-9
Cardinal, Metropolitan Club, Washington,
DC
11/13-15
Milt Russ, Harvard Club,
NYC
12/3-6
Kiva, Santa Fe,
NM
12/11
Holiday Tournament, Harvard Club, NYC
1/8-10/16 Wm. White, Merion Cricket Club, Haverford, PA
1/22-24
Eastern States, Yale & Harvard Clubs, NYC
1/30-31
Howard Davis, Greate Bay
Club
2/5-7
Cate, Cate School, Santa Barbara, CA
2/13-14
Woodruff-Nee, Metropolitan Club, Washington
DC
2/26-28
Nationals, Merion Cricket Club,
Philadelphia
Hardball Singles tournaments have been played at the national level
since 1907. It is one of the longest running squash
competitions. We want to continue to be able to play our GREAT
game, for its own sake and as a reinforcement of Squash Doubles and
softball skills and play.
As always, we need financial support if we want to see Hardball Singles Squash tournament play continue.
PLEASE send a check to Preston Quick’s attention at US Squash, 555
Eighth Avenue, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10018-4311 or you can donate --
on line -- to the Hardball Singles Squash Fund at
http://www.ussquash.com/give/donate/
