Just a few months ago, it was hard to think of a time when I wouldn’t be going to school — and wouldn’t have a two-hour practice built into my day. But that time has come. I’ve graduated from college, landed my dream job at Harper Collins publishers in New York City, managed to find an apartment, and have even found time during the week to exercise.

As soon as I arrived, I dialed up every squash player I knew in New York City, and have been making the rounds of the clubs, hopping into singles and doubles games from Long Island City to Midtown. But what I didn’t expect: a squash friend asked me to join the board of the MSRA, or Metropolitan Squash  Racquets Association, which runs New York Squash.

After attending the World Conference on Women and Sport in Sydney in May, I knew I had to remain active in squash. I wasn’t becoming a coach, or a teaching professional at a club, so I assumed that meant playing. I would help the women’s game by simply showing up (that’s no small feat as I have discovered in signing up for tournaments in which it was not clear up until the 11^th hour that there would even be a women’s draw).

Showing up is important. But when my friend Emily asked me to join the MSRA board, I heard echoes of Sydney in my ear. Speakers at the conference emphasized the great margins by which women were underrepresented on athletic boards, both at local and national levels. Women do better when other women are involved with leadership. Not only did I have to join — but I needed to play an active role.

I had images of what a board was and I expected lots of older people. In my mind, after all, boards were storied groups with lots of power and big purses. Boards are storied groups, and squash is about the most storied sport out there, but I was wrong on other scores.

The MSRA is, for the most part, comprised of young professionals (ages 22 to 40). After I attended my first meeting I also discovered — revelation — that many of the members were, like me, people who enjoyed the sport through college, and wanted to make sure the opportunity to play and be involved continued long after.

The MSRA runs cool events like the Grand Open, Hyder and Big Apple Opens, in addition to facilitating men’s and women’s singles leagues and a mixed doubles league. I have been tapped to help grow doubles in the city, as well as be active in the women’s squash movement. Sure, I have my work cut out for me, but I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my spare time.

Need a nudge? Here’s why to join an athletic board:

1. Boards are not just for older people. The best boards remain vital by including young voices.

2. Its a great way to meet people who are involved in a sport you are passionate about. And, yes, participating on a board gives you an instant circle of people to socialize and play your sport with when you move to a new city. Great way to meet people.

3. Think of board membership as public service — but also as a free leadership education course.

4. Contrary to conventional wisdom, board meetings are not boring. They are places for lively discussion, debate, and — yes — even sharp disagreement.

5. A board also gives you an outlet to be active outside of work. It’s important to have something that isn’t part of your working life that provides identity and meaningful engagement. No pay check involved.

The Tippett Sisters: Narelle and Natarsha

By Sarah Odell

This weekend, the Under 25 Doubles Championship takes place in Greenwich, Connecticut. Just yesterday I learned that there may not be enough women to make a draw. I have seen first hand the trend that US Squash is worried about: the rapid rate at which we are losing female players.

This week, I connected with two terrific women who happen to be amazing squash players. Former WISPA (Women’s International Squash Association) players turned teaching pros and turned moms. And yes, girls, they still play squash. Take note. Be inspired. Narelle Tippett Krizek and Natarsha Tippett McElhinny are here to prod you to pick up the sport they love.

FGN: You both are amazing squash players. How did you get started?

Narelle Tippett Krizek: Mum and Dad ran a squash club and we were little rats, hanging on the courts whenever possible.  Due to us being 16 months apart we were perfect play mates and always had someone to hit with.  We also played field hockey together on junior teams and representative teams.  Tarsh was a forward and I was her center half.

Natarsha Tippett McElhinny: First I have to say that when we played field hockey, Narelle used to pass me the ball, because she was my center half. I would then score. Now when we play doubles, it’s the other way around! Our dad was our first coach. He got us started and then we went off to the Australian Institute of Sports, and were working with the best professional coaches in the world.

FGN: You both were on the WISPA tour. How long did you play on the tour? Why did you retire?

NTK: I was on the tour as soon as I graduated high school.  I was on it for 5 years, reaching my highest ranking of 23 in the world.  I knew that it was a stretch to achieve top 3 and wanted to make some money so I wasn’t needing my dad’s support for my whole life.  So I took Tarsh’s teaching position in Philadelphia at Merion Cricket Club.  Playing on the tour was such a fantastic experience though, traveling around the world with my sister and friends, meeting so many different people from different countries.  It opened my eyes to a whole different way of life from Australia.

NTM:I played on the tour for three or four years, reaching my highest ranking of nineteen. That’s right, I was higher than Narelle! I’ve never lost to her and I never will. I’m never playing her again. I decided to make the move to the states when I was talking with another Australian guy when I was playing in tournament in Greenwich. I found out there was a lot more money in coaching in America, and I got the coaching job at Merion. When I left Merion to get married, I told them I had someone to fill my position who looked like me and sounded like me. Narelle took my car, my apartment and all of my white outfits!

FGN: Narelle, what was your goal with starting the WDSA (the professional Women’s Doubles Squash Association)?

NTK: I knew there was a need for women to be recognized in doubles.  We had sanctioned tournaments but not for prize money.  After seeing the ISDA men come to our clubs, I knew there was a way for the women to be recognized as well. There is also a lack of collegiate girls continuing to play squash after they graduate college.  I thought by growing the women’s doubles game this would help encourage them to play the sport as they would be social with their friends but keep them competing in a game they had once loved.

FGN: Tarsh, you’ve played doubles with your sister as your partner. What is that like? Does somebody have to keep the peace?

NTM: No, (laughs), nobody has to keep the peace. I don’t know if it’s because we’re so close in age, but we pretty much know what the other one is thinking. We know how to get the other one fired up; Narelle can give me a game plan, and I can kick her butt. I love playing with my sister because she’s so dang good.

FGN: US Squash is having a lot of trouble retaining female players after they graduate from college. What would you say to girls graduating this year to encourage them to keep playing?

NTK: Doubles is a fun way to stay fit and stay in a sport where it’s competitive but you are not stuck out there on your own chasing a little black ball around.  It is a totally new experience from anything you have been through as a junior or collegiate squash player.  Doubles will allow you to play squash for the rest of your life.  By supporting the women’s tour you are also helping to encourage young girls to play as juniors and be involved in a sport that we have all gotten so much out of.

FGN: Does the WDSA have any plans for events to encourage young women to pick up doubles?

NTK: The WDSA is working with US Squash to encourage young college players to play in the U25 doubles nationals. The WDSA is also working with a sponsor to host a doubles clinic in Sept/October in Greenwich where they get to play doubles, watch the WDSA play an exhibition followed by a manicure/pedicure afternoon.  It needs to be a fun, non-intimidating event to get them hooked.  Once we get them there, we can encourage them to play in the qualification of the pro events.

Narelle was the head squash professional at the Field Club of Greenwich, but has just relocated to Baltimore, Maryland with her husband Rob and their sons William and Blake. Natarsha lives in Las Vegas, Nevada where she is the head squash professional at the Sports Club Las Vegas. She lives there with her husband Jim and her boys Nicholas, Luke and Jake.

In sports, there is always some arrogance on the side of youth. When an athlete of twenty-two faces an athlete of forty or fifty, one assumes the younger player will win—he or she must be stronger, fitter, faster. This notion is completely false — and I learned it on a squash court.

Recently, I have taken up doubles squash (played on a court that is 25 feet wide and 45 feet long as compared with a singles court which is 21 feet wide and 35 feet long). North American doubles is also played with a hardball, which moves around the court differently from the soft ball used in the College Squash Association.

After playing all of the Under 25 age group tournaments, I decided it was time to flap my wings. I entered the William White Tournament at Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, PA. My partner is another college senior in college, and we played nos. 1 and 2 on the ladder at Wellesley College. We work out, we train hard, and our squash has gotten better. In the second round of the William White, we faced two players who were in the fifties. Finally, we thought, we’d have a win.

Molly and Jen, our competitors, crushed us. Like bugs! Young bugs, but bugs none the less.Hardball doubles taught us a valuable lesson: youth may bring strength, but it does not equal experience.

In a racquet sport, especially one where the ball (a hardball) can be so erratic, it was clear that the players who have had more experience on the larger court know the angles and the ball better. At a camp I attended, the Princeton Squash coach told us we had to hit at least 100,000 balls for the shot to be solidified in our muscle memory. I haven’t hit nearly that many doubles balls — and Jen and Molly probably have. They’ve been on the court longer, and know where the ball is going to go when I shape up to hit it. But, you might say, they can’t move around the court as quickly. But what does that matter when they use more surprising shots? They want to end the point (that means they don’t have to move as much).

I ran into Molly at the US Doubles Squash Championships in Baltimore, Maryland last weekend.  As we watched the women’s open age group semi-finals, she turned to me (we were watching Natalie Grainger and Diana Dowling play Lee Belknap and Natarsha Tippett McElhinny). “You get so much better by watching this,” she said.

I thought about how much more of this, on court and off, Molly had seen. And there was plenty of evidence that longevity in the sport has benefits, just considering the legends in the game in addition to the women I was watching: Alicia McConnell played in the 40 plus age group. Narelle Tippett Krizek and her partner Suzie Pierrepont (okay, she’s 30-something) played us in the first round of the tournament (they ended up winning), and Joyce Davenport captured the William White title while competing in the 50 plus age group.

In another post, I wrote that I was scared that athletics would end after college. But the beautiful thing about being whupped by these women who were older and better than me, was that for the first time, I felt a new possibility: As I get older, I will actually get better.

Tournament of Champions in Grand Central this week

By Sarah Odell

Anyone striding through Grand Central Terminal this week could be excused for looking up from their Blackberries and iPhones and thinking they had accidentally zig-zagged west to Madison Square Garden (OK, not really, but…)

It’s not everyday that an all-glass regulation squash court with stadium seating is erected in the footpath of 150,000 commuters. I’m talking about the annual Tournament of Champions, a mega event featuring 32 of the world’s top squash players – along with a constellation of non-pro events, including the GrandOpen, which I played in last weekend as part of “Squash Week.”

As someone who has watched and played squash in 90-plus degree heat in Israel, on grungy college courts, at some of the most elite clubs in Greenwich, CT, Philadelphia, PA, there is something truly exhilarating about seeing squash in Grand Central. It’s just different to see the game in Vanderbilt Hall, an elegant space with 48-foot ceilings and chandeliers, with views on all sides and the sound of New York traffic about twenty feet from the court.

The story at this year ‘s Grand Open, hosted by the Metropolitan Squash Rackets Association (MSRA) and played at the Harvard Club, Princeton Club, Yale Club, Sports Club LA and New York Sports Club Uptown (and drew 200 players from across the US!)  –  was women.

Twenty percent more female players showed up to play this year, said Jessica Green, MSRA co-chair. The numbers, said Emily Steiff, a former collegiate player from Connecticut College who helped organize the Grand, spurred organizers to add flights. While the MSRA originally planned flights for female players – at 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 levels , heavy demand drove them to add play for  4.5 and 5.5 players.

“The growth in women’s squash in New York has been phenomenal,” said Green. In the last five years, she said, the MSRA has added eight women’s league teams (including a new 5.0 division), led clinics and round robins serving hundreds of players.

“New players are entering at the beginner and novice levels, women are returning after taking breaks for work and family, and players are continuing to play competitively post-college — all good news for the growth of the sport,” says Green, who said they saw a 20 percent growth in female entrants this year.

And the quality has been strong. “We were thrilled to see 16-year old Amanda Sobhy take third place in the men’s 6.0 draw.” Sobhy, who is ranked 55th on the WISPA tour, entered in the highest men’s division. Her result is proof that the women are getting stronger, even at the local level, and becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Grainger bests Alison Waters in the finals of the Burning River Classic in Cleveland, Feb. 2009

By Sarah Odell

What happens when you cross a genetic pre-disposition with an environment crafted for squash excellence? Answer: Natalie Grainger, one of the top women’s squash players in the world (she’s been # 1) and president of WISPA (the women’s professional governing body).

Natalie has great genes — her mom, Jean, was a former No. 1 player and British National Champion — and she grew up in a squash environment. Her mom and dad, a South African Civil Engineer, built the Parkview Squash Centre in South Africa, which Natalie refers to “as a second home.” Throw in that she picked up a squash racquet at 2 ½ years old and it’s clear why Natalie has some serious victories – and investment – in professional squash.

She recently took time from traveling and playing to talk about learning to be a competitor, burnout and — bikinis.

FGN: What have been the hardest aspects of the game to master?

NG: When I was younger and just starting on the tour, I struggled to understand that there was no such thing as a perfect game of squash. I needed to just get on with things and compete to the best of my ability.  I became a really tough competitor, and could win even when I wasn’t at my best – some of my most memorable wins are not championship victories, but battles I had to overcome with players that tested me to my limit.

FGN: How do you balance your role as President of WISPA with competition (against players you represent)?

NG: I have learned to separate my work for WISPA from my play because my role  includes dealing with promoters and handling player’s needs as a board member.  Being able to shut my laptop, close my eyes, visualize my game, understand that I cannot affect anything else or see to anything else is liberating. It allows me to prepare and get ready for my matches, which for me is one of the most enjoyable parts of my life!

FGN: Many athletes, especially in college are burnt out by the time they make it to school. What keeps you playing?

NG: I’m going to turn this around and ask your readers, “Why do you consider yourself burnt out?” I don’t understand that so-called issue. Sport is fun and social and teaches you to find a competitive edge that can translate into any career (which by the way will be a whole lot more stressful than chasing down a squash ball!) I would say that the term “burnt out” is an over-exaggeration and surely cannot apply to school kids arriving at college. How are they old or experienced enough, how can they be burnt out from a sport that they don’t play full time, how can they know the stress of paying rent by whether or not they perform?  Squash has been my chosen career, but I play because it is the sport that has been the most enjoyable for me.

FGN: How do you mentally prepare for matches?

NG: On game day I find time a few hours before my match to lie down, close my eyes and semi-nap/visualize my upcoming match. It allows me to play some points, focus completely and utterly on my upcoming performance, my strategy for that particular opponent, and also work through any anxiety I might feel by understanding in my mental darkness that I am really good and that I am ready to be tested. I always set an alarm clock, usually giving myself about 45 mins for this down time. When I get that flutter of nerves in my tummy thinking about the game, I know that I am ready. Often walking through the door of the court for my match I get another flutter of nerves, this always makes me smile and laugh inside as it is the competition of a squash match that is getting my juices flowing – we have to laugh at the way the human psyche works don’t you think?

FGN: WISPA has decided to do a swimsuit calendar for 2010. Is that right?

NG: When WISPA decided to do the first calendar last year, we went with squash kit and a second shot in black tie dress. Many people often don’t recognize the girls — having admired their ability on the court, retrieving, lunging, striking, mentally digging in, concentrating and often showing a side that is competitive and often ruthless to an opponent — when they emerge from the changing rooms to emerge in high heels, jewelry and trendy cocktail dresses, with their hair done, make up on and ready to socialize with sponsors, patrons, supporters and fans!

With the Cayman Open coming in April, we had the ideal opportunity to shoot a “hot” calendar on their beautiful beaches, so I contacted Patricia Lyons, a friend, squash fan and fabulous professional photographer. All of us loved our time behind the camera! It was a little nerve racking to begin with, but by the end of the shoot, the inner goddess certainly came out!! Huge fun!

FGN: Why do a “hot” calendar?

NG: WISPA decided to do a hot calendar for the fun element and to showcase our international athletes in a way that showed their appeal as awesome women that are strong and diverse — and the bikini calendar caught people’s attention! We have been able to get pieces in many different magazines and websites due to the fact that the calendar is tasteful and sexy and we believe that it promotes our tremendous athletes in a cool and energized way.

Odell (in blue)

By Sarah Odell

The other day, the Wellesley College Squash Team — my team — opened the 2009 season at home against Smith College. This is my last home opener. As a senior, who has spent four years holding the number one spot at Wellesley, I can’t help but reflect.

Sure, I’m not the QB at UMich or the top scorer in field hockey at the University of Delaware. That would be Tate Forcier and Casey Howard.

There was no scholarship on the line when a back injury put me on the bench junior year. We’ve never contended for a national title.  But playing squash and being on a team has been an integral part of my college education. Squash has taught me patience. After our first game, I had a long talk with our coach: several on the team are just learning the game.  It is a very special opportunity to learn to play a sport in college, and – wow, compete – at the intercollegiate level.

Wellesley students strive to be the best; the best scientist, the best writer, the best art historian, the best politician (just ask Hillary). To be thrust into an environment where they not only are not the best, but “learning on the road” as my yoga instructor says, is hard. I won my match last night in three straight sets. My teammates teased me about how many balls I hit into the nick, and how many ace serves. What they do not know, is that my first year in college, I was one of them.

I arrived at Wellesley having played at Exeter, but my highest ranking on the Exeter squash team was number three. At Wellesley, I was thrust into the number one spot. I won only one match my freshman year. Yes, I had played before, but I was forced to compete at an advanced level. I desperately wanted to be good – no – I wanted to be great. But even keeping the ball in play was hard. I wasn’t fast enough. I wasn’t smart enough. I wasn’t keeping the ball tight enough.

Three years later, I’m just starting to win some matches. It has taken a brutal summer of working at a competitive internship in New York City until 5, being on court by 5:30, and working hard night after night. Lessons. Matches. Weight lifting. Cardio. Finally, it’s starting to click. Coach says she can see that the work is paying off.

Squash has taught me how to measure success. (Hint: it’s not always W’s and L’s). Sometimes success is forcing myself to run for a ball that I believe is un-gettable, and surprising myself when I return the shot. Other times, it is the look on a teammate’s face as they stand behind the glass wall of the court, cheering my name during a match.

There have been other lessons, like how to work with others, motivate peers, and achieve goals from within a group. Most importantly, squash has given me my best friends in college. After a frightening week at home last year, where I endured tests, MRIs, and multiple doctor visits, a spine specialist in Wellesley diagnosed me with a disc problem in my spine — but wanted the MRI to prove it. With parents miles away, it was my teammate Ashley, now my doubles partner and co-captain, who went with me to get the scan that last year put me on the bench.

It is strange – and a little scary – to imagine the next phase of my life. I wonder if I will make the same connections without varsity athletics. But bet that I’ll try. Wherever I end up, it won’t be far from a squash court.

Sarah Odell, a regular blogger at FairGameNews, is a senior at Wellesley College and co-captain of the squash team.

By Sarah Odell

I met professional squash player Suzie Pierrepont last spring at the U25 National Doubles Tournament at the Field Club of Greenwich, CT. Suzie, a 23-year-old Brit, is ranked 25th in the world and is now based in the U.S. at the Apawamis Club in Rye, N.Y.  While US Squash works to grow women’s interest in the sport, on the professional side, the Women’s International Squash Player’s Association (WISPA) is adding tournaments. No surprise: There’s a pay gap between men’s and women’s pro  squash – men’s purses are double – but WISPA is working to add women’s events.

FGN: For those not familiar with the WISPA tour, what is it like playing professional squash?

SP: The women’s tour is run under the name WISPA, which started in 1984 and has been growing ever since. It has year-round, global tournaments at varying levels, from local events to our biggest tournament, The World Open. By playing the tournaments, you accumulate points that give you a world ranking.  I play about 12 tournaments a year, from England to Egypt, France, Malaysia. My favorite tournament is the Hong Kong Open. I love it out there, great city, great weather, great shopping and one of our biggest and best tournaments. Playing on the circuit is the best job in the world — I get to travel and play my favorite sport. Just wish it paid more!!

FGN: You were raised in England and learned to play there. Why did you decide to move to the United States to train?

SP: I’ve always loved playing in the US. My first ever WISPA tournament was the Marsh McLennan Open at the Apawamis Club in Rye.  A couple of years ago I came out to Wilmington, Delaware (where I have family) to do summer training. I was playing in Philadelphia and had such a great time and my training went really well. I was disillusioned with squash in England so when I was asked if I’d like to make a permanent move, I jumped at the chance.

FGN: How do the women’s tournaments compare with the men’s?

SP: Many of our tournaments are run together. The prize funds rarely match. [For example the tournament purse for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open is $74,000  for the women and $145,000 for the men -- click on "full calendar" for purse sizes]. There are some other discrepancies, too. For example, the men play with a 17” tin [which serves as a kind of net located at the bottom of the front wall – hitting it ends the point] while the women have a 19” tin. Some of us hope for an amalgamation of the two tours. It would be a very positive thing for the game and a massive benefit to both tours.

FGN: What have you gained from playing sports?
SP: There is so much more to sports than just exercise and fitness. There are also some amazing opportunities — the chance to meet great people, travel, compete and learn a lot about yourself. I played almost everything I could growing up, not just squash but tennis, field hockey, and some sports you guys probably don’t know, like netball and rounders. And I loved them all.

FGN: What can you pass on to younger players and do you do much coaching, or is your time mostly training?

SP: I do a fair bit of coaching. Squash is a tough sport to make a living from so when I moved out here I started doing it to support myself and I now really enjoy it. What I try and stress most to anyone I coach, at whatever level is that we are all supposed to be playing because we like it. It should be fun. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of squash that I really do not find fun (court sprints for example) but I do it because I love playing squash and I love getting better, challenging myself, and I hope they feel the same way.

Sarah Odell is a senior at Wellesley College who represented the U.S. in squash this summer at the Maccabi Games.

Sarah Odell, Team USA

Sarah Odell has been competing in Israel as a member of the US Squash Team at the Maccabiah Games, where 7,000 athletes from 60 countries are competing for medals and bonding over their common Jewish heritage. Among the participants is American swimmer Jason Lezak, whose role as anchor in the freestyle relay at the Bejing Olympics helped Michael Phelps capture one of his eight gold medals. Read a complete account of Sarah’s experience here. I wondered what it felt like to compete for the USA and — yep — whether the balls really ARE bouncier in the heat. Oh, and the results. Here’s what Sarah shares:

By Sarah Odell

Once I stepped on the court for the team matches, I felt just as competitive as at any other match. The venue itself isn’t much larger than any of our college arenas, but there are more fans.

The difference between this and other competitions is that after the matches, regardless of the outcome, all of the athletes have a great camaraderie.  We go out to dinner with the Brits, the Canadians and the Israelis. We spend our free time together exploring Jerusalem or sitting by the pool. We have amazing political discussions about Israel and all share our common bond with this land.

I felt the weight of competing for my country when I first stepped on court wearing the USA shirt, but after I played out my first point, I could actually feel that it was a game just like any other. A different opponent, a different venue, a different team shirt — although, winning the silver for the USA was pretty sweet.

Men’s and women’s USA teams won silver independently. We beat Canada and Great Britain – and lost to Israel in the gold medal finals. Individual competitions take place next.

And for the record: Yes, the balls are bouncier (though we managed!). Sometimes after play, they are actually hot to the touch.

Sarah Odell (in blue) practices for Maccabiah Games

By Sarah Odell

Tomorrow I leave with members of the U.S. men’s and women’s squash teams to compete in the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv. The Games –- would you believe the third-largest sporting event in the world? — happen every four years in Israel and are a chance for Jewish athletes to celebrate our common history and culture (and hopefully win some medals!)

The sports:  Basketball (M,F), Beach Volleyball (M,F), Cycling (M,F), Fencing (M,F), Field Hockey (F),  Futsal (M),  Golf(M,F), Gymnastics (M,F),  Half Marathon(M,F),  Judo(M,F), Karate(M,F), Lawn Bowls (M),  Rhythmic Gymnastics (F),  Rowing (M,F), Rugby (M),  Soccer(M,F),  Softball(M,F),  Squash(M,F),  Swimming(M,F),  Table Tennis (M),  Taekwondo(M,F),  Ten Pin Bowling(M,F),  Tennis(M,F),  Track & Field (M,F),  Triathlon (M,F),  Volleyball(M,F),  Water Polo (M),  Wrestling (M).

The Games actually run July 12 to July 23 (coverage on JLTV), but first I’ll participate in a 10-day training camp with the U.S. delegation. Athletes on our team range in age from 21 (I’m the youngest) to 45. When the Games open, the U.S. Squash team will compete in the team event against Great Britain, Israel and Brazil. After team competition ends, we compete for individual medals. (Sort of like gymnastics in the Olympics.)

While interning at a publishing company in Manhattan this summer, I’ve been practicing at The Harvard Club of New York, eating extra helpings of fruit and oats for energy and lots of olives to prepare my tongue for the Mediterranean onslaught when we arrive in Israel. I’ve also been lifting weights, playing four days a week, and doing tons of cardio to be ready.

But all that can’t erase my biggest fear: That the ball will be so bouncy, because it is so hot in Israel, that I won’t look remotely like the same player who spends six months playing in Boston. (They do have AC, but I’ve heard it’s so hot there, it sort of doesn’t make a difference.)

Little known fact outside of squash circles: When the ball is really hot, it gets super bouncy (not a problem in New England where courts are dry and cold) and it can feel like a different game.

The ball sits up (instead of dying when you slice it), or if you try to kill the ball low (slam it), it bounces up off the front wall, or the side wall, or the nick. It makes the games longer because nobody can put the ball away and everything is gettable (you basically are waiting for your opponent to screw up or get tired).

I’m sure I’ll be in great shape (by the end of the trip!), but the matches are going to be long and punishing. I just hope I’m equal to the task. I’ll let you know how it goes.

US Squash board chair Jeanne Blasberg

Jeanne Blasberg is Board Chair, of U.S. Squash and plays at state and national levels. Recently, she has been kind enough to teach my friend Ashley and I the game of doubles squash, which is all together different from singles. Ashley and I just competed at the inaugural U25 National Doubles Championship in Greenwich, CT. Here’s what Blasberg, 43, has to say about growing women’s squash, playing alongside her children – and (ala Tiger Woods) revamping her strokes.

FGN: My impression is that US Squash is trying to retain female players post-college. What is US Squash doing to keep and attract women?

Blasberg: Yes, increasing women’s participation and membership is one of our strategic priorities.  Right now women are a small percentage of our membership (15% of about 11,000) whereas at the college level, about 35-40% of the players are female. According to industry estimates there are 300,000 squash players in the U.S. We have a strategic goal to increase U.S. Squash membership to 20,000 by 2012.

Our goal is to keep women playing. Formats like the adult Howe Cup are successful because people like being part of a team and they like the social aspect.  We need to emulate that feel in other events. Many women play for the “fun” rather than the competition after it is no longer required in school or as a junior.  So we need events and formats that take the pressure off.  We also need to be sensitive to price and time commitment for tournaments.

At the same time, we are trying to build out the under 23, under 25 events as a bridge after college.  US Squash is thinking about free/low cost membership for early 20-somethings. We’re also trying to get health club owners to build squash courts because private clubs are too expensive for young adults.  Having a cheaper, public club option is important.

FGN: As a non-collegiate athlete who is very involved in highly competitive squash, what do you get out of the experience?

Blasberg: I was a college field hockey (2 –year team captain) and lax player. I also ran track and played on the squash team my senior year so I wouldn’t say I was not a college athlete! In fact, I got 10 varsity letters at Smith. I started playing squash my junior year when I met my future husband who was a squash player at Amherst.  I am a competitive person and need a healthy outlet for that.  Sharing a sport with my husband, friends, and children is an amazing way to spend time together.

FGN: Do you play squash with any of your children?

Blasberg: Yes, all three play and it is a real joy to be on court with them.  My 13-year -old son and I made it to the semi’s of the state parent-child tournament. I am proud to say I was the only Mom in the parent-child!  My 15-year-old plays at Exeter and is getting quite serious.  We plan to play and drill a lot this summer.  It is very special for a mother to have sports to share with her boys. My 11-year-old daughter has the talent to be quite good.  I am proud to be competing and having my kids watch me.  They gain a certain respect for women and women athletes — and for me! They know I work hard in order to play at a high level.  I can also be a good example of fair play, when to play a let or give a point, how to win and lose gracefully.

FGN: Would you encourage collegiate squash players to continue playing after college?

Blasberg: Yes!! Play after college.  If you stay fit, squash is a sport you can improve at so much in your thirties and forties.  I made the breakthrough from being a “B” player to an “A” player when I was in my late 30′s (after giving birth to three children).  The game is very mental and wisdom and experience add so much.  In fact as I get older, I love to enter tournaments where I will be playing people who are half my age (it provides a great incentive to win).  Don’t give up squash after college because you haven’t come anywhere near hitting your peak.

FGN: What do you love about competing?

Blasberg: When I walk onto a court, I can be anywhere in the world and the dimensions of the court are a constant for me, very grounding. (You will feel that in Israel this summer.  You will be thrown into a totally new environment, yet the game and the court are the same and very calming in that way). Playing requires a presence that I strive for in other practices such as yoga or playing the piano – this presence is so calming and peaceful.

FGN: How is your game these days?

Blasberg: I have been working very hard at the technical components of my game. Since I didn’t learn as a child, I didn’t have the greatest foundation in squash.  I counted more on my fitness and strength to help me rise through the rankings.  Now at the age of 43, I have taken two lessons a week for over a year to just to focus on redoing my strokes (I figured if Tiger Woods had the courage to take his swing apart, I could probably risk it too).  Fitness won’t take me any higher because at this point it has to all be about technique and shot selection.  So you see, it is one game, but it keeps changing and presenting new challenges.

FGN: We had SO much fun at the U25 Doubles. We need more tournaments.

Blasberg: Glad the doubles weekend was fun! You should definitely keep it up. I have been playing dubs only four years and I feel like I made a huge jump in my doubles game this year.

FGN: Thank you.

Blasberg: Good luck.

Sarah Odell is a junior at Wellesley College who will represent the U.S. this July in Squash at the Maccabi Games in Israel.