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 the last 10-15 years that the names of foreign players appeared on the board.

Does – or should – the nationality of American (or North American) winners matter?

This question is at the center of heated debate right now about one of two key rule changes before the U.S. Doubles Committee (I’m one of 15 members of that committee). One new rule allows professionals to compete on the men’s side (female pros could always compete). The other – more controversial change — would allow only U.S. citizens to compete for the national doubles championship.

I think barring foreign players is a problem – especially for the women’s game.

Yes, doubles squash, unlike softball singles, is a North American game. There are two doubles courts in Scotland. But all other hardball doubles courts are in the U.S. and Canada.

The U.S. Nationals Doubles Championship Committee wants to close the Nationals to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen beginning in 2013. Advocates point out a benefit: this will enable them to use the championships to determine the best American men’s and women’s teams. The rule allowing pros to play in the men’s draw, as well as the women’s draw, will let the same pool of players compete in the US National Doubles Championships as in the US Open Pro Doubles, which will happen in 2013.

The committee has already voted to open up the men’s nationals to professionals. There are, after all, American professional men, like top 10-ranked Preston Quick, who give back to the game and play numerous events. Guys like Preston have been excluded from the US Nationals in the past because of their pro status, but that made little sense to the committee. The thinking: Shouldn’t the best American men be able to play the US Nationals? Sure.

But what about the best players? Do we potentially want two Australian pros, like Damien Mudge and Ben Gould to win a US National title? This question was harder for the committee to answer.

For me, the solution has more to do with our long-range goals. I believe that closing the US Nationals to non-US citizens would be detrimental for doubles – and could even kill the women’s game, which we are trying desperately to grow.

My own player development reflects the problem. I grew up playing squash outside of Philadelphia, often considered the hub of squash in the United States. I had three key coaches between the ages of nine and 14: Wendy Berry (British), Imran Khan (Pakistani) and Dominic Hughes (British). I didn’t have an American coach until I played for Kirk Randall , at Exeter.

Ironically, it is these coaches, who work with juniors day in and day out, for months and years at a time that our governing body, US Squash, works with to promote the game. Historically, the US has not been the birthplace of great squash players. Great players have come from Commonwealth countries. But as the sport’s US profile has grown, in part because kids and parents view it as a gateway to an elite college, players from abroad have come here to coach and train.

When the women’s committee or doubles committee seeks help because women are dropping out of the game after college at alarming rates, who do we turn to for help?

The coaches. These British, Pakistani, Australian, New Zealand and South African players are US Squash’s greatest ambassadors of the game. They not only train athletes, but instill in them a lifelong love of the game. And these pros, especially the female ones, have proven to be invaluable in creating squash communities that keep the game alive once athletes have left college.

Narelle Krizek started the pro women’s doubles tour from nothing—she’s Australian. Suzie Pierrepont coaches the National Championship winning women’s team at Greenwich Academy—she’s British.  We use these women to promote the game. Are we really ready to tell them they can’t play in the premier doubles event in the US?

Pros aside, the proposed rule change will effectively kill the effort to get younger players into the game. Many recent grads from Harvard, Trinity, Princeton and Cornell, who have taken up doubles and are traveling to tournaments will now be denied the right to play and win a US National title. These women are not teaching pros, nor are they US citizens—the best players on our American teams are from other countries.

As a volunteer I’ve been working to get these players onto doubles courts and into tournaments. What message so we send in barring them from Nationals? These women don’t play pro events – they work full time. It seems contradictory to have them play other events – but not this one.

Amid this debate, as a US doubles committee member, I keep thinking about what my mentor, Morris Clothier told me to do: “Grow the game of doubles.” He never said to grow it just for women, or Americans, or young people. He just said to grow it.

Closing one of the most prestigious events on the calendar to non-Americans does the opposite, keeping the pool small,  and keeping talented (and involved) athletes out of contention. The best players should play this tournament, regardless of citizenship, because the best doubles players are the ones who show up to Apawamis at the end of March, have paid their entry fee, and play the game that will get them into the finals, and onto the plaque commemorating excellence.

Nour Bahgat is first female on the Pro Squash Tour

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 player to join the Pro Squash Tour.

Two weeks ago, she made her debut at the Bobcat Classic, held at Bates College in Lewiston, ME. Two weeks from now she’ll play at the Boston Open. She came out of the Bobcat Classic ranked at #20 in PST standings with 45 points. (Bahgat lost to Sean Wilkinson of Ireland in the quarter finals, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6.)

Nour, a senior at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, majoring in Environmental Science, shared thoughts in between classes.

FGN: As a college player, did you train with members of Trinity’s men’s team?

NB: I trained with the women’s team during regular team practice and arranged additional training with the men at other times.

FGN: Is there anything different about playing with men?

NB: I’m used to playing with men during practice. The rallies are usually longer and the game is at a higher pace. This is more challenging and helps to improve my game.

FGN: What appealed to you about the Pro Squash Tour? Did you ever think about playing on WISPA (Women’s International Squash Player’s Association)? What made you choose one over the other?

NB: The PST offers a number of tournaments that fit in my schedule. It’s a great opportunity to get some good matches and learn from some great players.  I’m looking forward to playing WISPA when the chance comes.  It’s hard to fit the WISPA tournaments in my school schedule at the moment.

FGN: What are your goals for playing on the PST?

 NB: Learn from this great opportunity of playing against men and have a good challenge.  Working on improving my game is always a goal whether I’m playing against men or women.

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 years ago the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) created an emerging sport list with the goal of having the nine original sports one day become official sponsored NCAA sports. Squash was on that list. Emerging status (only applicable to women’s sports) is bestowed on sports which the NCAA thinks have promise. The status provides for a 10-year window to build teams with the goal of reaching at least 40 college programs, the minimum required to become an official NCAA sport. As an incentive while in emerging status, colleges can count the women who play on those teams toward meeting Title IX requirements.

What’s happened? Of the nine original sports on the list, four have become “championship” sports: rowing, ice hockey, water polo and bowling. In the case of women’s squash, after the 10-year window, the NCAA granted the sport four extra years to reach the critical mass of 40 teams. Right now we’re at about 28. So in 2010, the Committee on Women’s Athletics and the NCAA Division 1 Council decided to drop the sport.

Does NCAA sponsorship really matter? Yes. Here’s why this decision hurts women’s squash:

1) Colleges now have no incentive to add squash as a varsity sport. Before the 2010 decision, colleges could add women’s varsity squash in order to fulfill Title IX requirements. Now there is no incentive – all the more so because the sport is seen as stagnant and incapable of growth.

2) Branding. With squash enthusiasts pushing for inclusion of the sport in the Olympics, one must look at how to brand the sport into being a nationally-recognized powerhouse. The NCAA brings national recognition and visibility to every sport it sponsors. Some may argue that this is in name only, but we cannot discount the importance of NCAA sponsorship and inclusion.

3) Women’s squash is not growing at the same rate as the men. During my time in college (2006-2010), the men’s College Squash Association almost doubled in size to over 60 teams. Most people when they heard about the NCAA’s decision cited this. But the men’s growth, while encouraging, is irrelevant. You need 40 varsity teams on the women’s side. If we can’t get 40 colleges to sponsor women’s varsity squash, how do we expect to get women to fill the draws at the US Nationals, National Doubles and Howe Cup? Also, why are colleges adding men’s programs, and not women’s programs? (At both club and varsity levels). Something is clearly amiss here, and must be addressed.

4) Resources (and the pipeline). One current discussion among the women: Why aren’t more female players becoming coaches or going into the administrative side of squash, at collegiate, interscholastic and national levels? The NCAA holds workshops for college athletes, including specialized ones to encourage women to become coaches and administrators. The problem? Squash athletes are not included in these workshops, because we aren’t an NCAA sport.

5) Limiting geographic and socioeconomic range of squash athletes. With squash as a recognized NCAA sport, colleges like George Washington University added programs. Division I colleges give athletic scholarships. Division III and Ivy League institutions cannot. With more Division I schools like GW adding squash, scholarships can be a tool for bringing in more diverse group of players and broadening support for the sport. Without access to NCAA status – and scholarships – women’s squash will remain an elite, Northeast game even as the men’s game reaches new audiences and players.

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 the opportunity to play, and women’s squash is in danger of becoming stagnant.

I’m sorry if I sound alarmist (and yes, I believe the problem can be fixed), but it is time that the women of my beloved sport come together and decide to actively press for change.

The number of women’s college teams is dwindling, as Rochester and Johns Hopkins both abolished varsity programs in the last five years. This is a problem as women represent 40% of the US Squash membership until they graduate from college, when they then represent 15%. The NCAA has not seen significant growth in the sport over the last ten years.

As a result, squash was cut from the emerging sports list at the NCAA, effective in August. While I, as a former college athlete, have ambivalent feelings about the NCAA, this is a huge blow to the sport. The NCAA bestows emerging sport status with the hopes that in a few years, it will gain enough support to become a full-fledged NCAA sport. While in the emerging category, universities may count the females engaged in that sport toward meeting Title IX proportionality rules.

While the NCAA’s decision happened with little fanfare, I discovered this week that Brown University is cutting several recruiting spots from men’s and women’s squash. The University is cutting 30 spots from admissions, beginning with the men’s and women’s squash programs, and is considering getting rid of the program altogether (there are plans to eliminate other sports teams, too). Coincidence? I think not.

Trouble in the squash world may be most pronounced at the college level, but the women’s game is struggling at the top, too – although the issues are the same.

There has been a lot written recently about Title IX—in the New York Times, the blogosphere, and, most interestingly to me, in a bunch of emails I was copied on regarding the World Doubles Championships held in Toronto, Canada on May 6-9.

The tournament was supposed to have a men’s draw of 16 teams with a $30,000 purse, and a women’s draw of eight teams with a $10,000 purse. As the tournament approached, a problem arose: there was only $7600 in prize money for the women. While there was back and forth and blame about what had gone wrong, I noticed that Title IX kept popping up in emails as the professional women grappled with whether or not to boycott the event. Two teams did withdraw from the event.

What’s striking to me is that, yes, Title IX is a U.S. law passed in 1972  (so of course female squash pros playing in Toronto did not expect it to shape the World Doubles purse). But calling upon Title IX almost forty years later highlights the frustrating fact that women still face the same old challenge: opportunity. At every level, we are still battling for the chance to play.

Filling women’s draws at national championships, as well as for local squash tournaments is never easy. But doubles can be especially difficult because appropriately-sized courts are hard to find, period, and then sometimes women aren’t even allowed to play on them. In New York City, for example, there are six doubles courts, and women are only permitted to play on four of them.

It all comes back to opportunity. It may look like women aren’t interested in playing squash – until you consider the dearth of access. This spring, after the newly created doubles league ended in New York, some men (yes, men) at the University Club of New York came to me and said that they wanted to start a women’s doubles league in New York. They hoped that by giving us courts and competition at no charge, the league would be successful enough for NY Squash to add it to doubles programming for the fall.

Well, the offer of courts at no charge was too good to pass up. I emailed everyone I knew who was female and played squash in New York. I expected to bring two teams with 10 women total to the University Club. In two days, I brought them four teams and about 25 women. There are roughly 45 women in the league. (Even I was surprised and impressed).

You see, if you give women the opportunity to play, they will come out. But opportunities in squash are beginning to shrink, not grow. We as women, especially in the sport of squash, need to make a decision: either we rally and demand or create opportunity –  or we watch this sport slip away.

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.

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.