Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
By Sarah Odell
What does it mean to be the best? I pondered this recently while studying the lacquered hardwood board at the Greenwich Country Club listing past winners of the North American Open Doubles Tournament. How many winners – spanning more than 50 years – were American? Most. It wasn’t until ...
Posted in Squash, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 7th, 2011
[caption id="attachment_2593" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Nour Bahgat is first female on the Pro Squash Tour"][/caption]
By Sarah Odell
Egyptian squash player Nour Bahgat is doing what women at the top of their game do: Challenge the guys.
Bahgat, who won the 2009 Women’s Collegiate National Championship her freshman year, recently became the first female ...
Posted in Squash, The Athletes | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
By Sarah Odell
When the NCAA decided late in 2010 to cut squash from the emerging sport list, most people didn’t notice the decision, let alone realize the profound impact on the sport moving forward. But this decision is like hitting the serve out at nine-all in the fifth.
Some background: 14 ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, Squash | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
By Sarah Odell
Women’s squash is at a crossroads. I have written in this blog about huge strides that we have made with women’s doubles in the last year, but the women’s game as a whole -- singles and doubles, professionals and amateurs -- is in crisis. Women are being denied ...
Posted in Money, Power & Politics, Squash, The Athletes | 3 Comments »
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
[caption id="attachment_1297" align="aligncenter" width="544" caption="The Tippett Sisters: Narelle and Natarsha"][/caption]
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 ...
Posted in Squash, The Q&A | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
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 ...
Posted in Squash, The Athletes, The Q&A | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
[caption id="attachment_280" align="alignnone" width="163" caption="From the opening ceremonies"] 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. ...
Posted in Squash, The Athletes | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
[caption id="attachment_226" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sarah Odell (in blue) practices for Maccabiah Games "][/caption]
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 ...
Posted in Squash, The Athletes | No Comments »
Monday, May 4th, 2009
By Sarah Odell
[caption id="attachment_66" align="aligncenter" width="407" caption="US Squash board chair Jeanne Blasberg"][/caption]
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 ...
Posted in Squash, The Q&A | No Comments »
